Today I feel like talking about something a little on the silly side.  But not silly in a bad way, I mean silly in the good way.  B-movies have a good following, and it’s not hard to see why.  They can have wacky story concepts, funny/cheap effects, awkward acting and dialogue, they could even have genius notions and yet still somehow be silly in the end.  And ya know what?  We’ll love every moment.

Whether it’s Plan 9 from Outer Space, or any “atomic age” creature feature from the 50s, these films have an audience.  Even films that don’t exactly fit into this category can benefit from having something a little on the silly side.  For the most part, however, all these elements are best when used in combination.  The art of making B-movies is definitely that, an art.  This is proven in what is undoubtedly one of the most genius films to come out in recent years.  That film is The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra.

Although this looks and feels like it came out of’ the 50s, it was actually produced in 2001.  The movie is directed by Larry Blamire, who nails every aspect of this sub-genre.  The stock music, the cheesy effects, the awkward dialogue and acting, everything is there and it’s pure fun from beginning to end.

The movie is about a scientist named Dr. Paul Armstrong who brings his wife along for a little trip to the mountains.  He hopes to find a meteorite that contains “atmosphereum,” a rare element that he hopes will bring scientific advances to the field of science.  Meanwhile, another scientist named Dr. Roger Fleming is searching for the famed “Lost Skeleton of Cadavra” in Cadavra Cave.  He soon learns that the skeleton can only be brought to life with the use of atmosphereum.

As if that weren’t enough, a space ship crash lands, containing two aliens and their pet mutant, who breaks loose after the landing.  It goes on a killing spree (er, pardon me, “mutilating” spree) and the two aliens, named Kro-Bar and Lattis, must find him before it causes more harm.  And as if that weren’t enough, they must also repair their ship with the use of… you guessed it, atmosphereum.

For the record, anyone who has a pet mutant is out of their freakin’ mind.

From here, it’s nothing but fun and laughs as the characters have awkard interactions and exchange some of the most bizarre dialogue ever to be filmed.  It sounds stupid, but if you like cheesy stuff in vein of Plan 9, or especially the voice-acting from the original Resident Evil game, this is right up your ally.

As funny as it is, the film’s not quite perfect.  There are some slow moments here and there, particularly during the middle of the film.  In addition, some of the jokes tend to get a little repetitive, but even these times manage to have something funny somewhere, so it’s not entirely bad.  The best part of the movie, in addition to it’s overall feel, is easily the skeleton himself.  He has some of the best lines and acts like a total butthole to Roger, who becomes his servant.  In addition, there’s a funny character named Animala, who brings more quirks and laughs to an already funny line-up of characters.

The film itself is good fun, but the DVD has great features that are worthy of your time.  It has a retro-style trailer, two commentaries, an entertaining Q&A, and also a really cool photo gallery that shows fake merchandise for the film.  All this, plus an included Ub Iwerks cartoon titled Skeleton Frolic really sells the whole mood.  There’s even trailers for other b-movies (though there are also previews for stuff that’s a little out of place).

Overall, this is easily one of my favourite DVDs I’ve purchased.  Lost Skeleton is definitely one of those movies where you have to really enjoy “bad” qualities and be in the right mindset to enjoy it.  If you enjoy the type of stuff you see on Mystery Science Theatre 3000, I recommend checking this out with a group of friends.

So until next time… always keep watching the skies and trust no one.  Later everybody!  o/